How do we take decisions at DNS ?

All the important decisions of the team are taken in a common meeting by teachers and students together. We talk a lot which means that everyone learns to speak up and formulate his or her opinion.

We explain our arguments to eachother, and create examples and even more examples for everyone to understand. At the end an understanding is finally reached. This does not necessarily mean that everyone agrees 100 % with one another, but we reach consensus around how to carry on and find solutions.

The teams follow up upon what is said and experienced, and through the 3 years of training everybody learns to listen, investigate the common reality, challenge each other and find common ground. Reaching consensus with each other is a basic cultural phenomenon in a DNS team. We have often experienced situations where we have sat hour after hour – sometimes the whole night and discussed important matters, finally reaching a solution that all were able to support.

This way of interacting with each other in radically democratic ways, not giving up until the last stone is turned, has meant a great deal to the development of the teams and the development of the individuals. At DNS, the students get used to talking in bigger groups and get the experience that their opinion is taken seriously. It is truly important for a future teacher to be trained in listening to his students and not just dictating to them, even when he thinks he knows better.